The Nation reported that Acting Minister of National Defense of Thailand - General Nattapon Nakpanich - has just sent a call to his Cambodian counterpart to show respect for the soldiers who died by receiving and bringing their bodies back home, instead of leaving them to decompose on the battlefield.
Speaking on August 4, General Nattapon said he raised the issue with Cambodian Defense Minister - General Tea seiha - during a three-way online meeting with Malaysian Defense Minister Khaled Nordin on August 3. The meeting was held in preparation for the General Border Commission (GBC) negotiations in Malaysia.
Mr. Nattapon expressed concern that many bodies of Cambodian soldiers have not yet been received along the Cambodian border.
I have urged Cambodia to reclaim the bodies not only out of respect for the deceased but also for the health of the community. The decomposing bodies could cause an outbreak of the epidemic among civilians living near the border, he said.
Mr. Nattapon emphasized that although the two sides were in conflict, when they found the bodies of Cambodian soldiers in Thailand, the Thai army collected them and brought them back to Cambodia, in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
General Nattapon also mentioned Cambodia's accusations that Thailand abused 18 captured Cambodian soldiers. He affirmed that the captured soldiers - found in Thai territory - were treated according to the Geneva Convention. Their health status has been confirmed by the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) and other international observers.
Thailand did not torture or wrong them, General Nattapon stressed, adding that the Thai government had not yet returned these 18 soldiers due to the handling from Cambodia.
"First of all, we have to complete the questioning and prepare a complete dossier. We need clear evidence to prevent misinformation in the future," he said.
Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri - spokesperson for the Thailand - Cambodia Border Trade Center - said that he would invite the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) to visit the detained soldiers this week.
Meanwhile, the Khmer Times reported that President of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen has called on the ICRC to support the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers. Hun Sen called on the Cambodian government to formally request ICRC to intervene and fulfill its humanitarian role.
